1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to personal care absorbent articles, such as disposable diapers, child training pants, adult incontinence garments and the like, having a structure adapted to expand to form a separation barrier when a wearer of the personal care absorbent article is in a sitting position. More particularly, this invention relates to a structure having an expandable region which expands to form the separation barrier when a compressible region connected thereto is compressed.
2. Description of Prior Art
Conventional personal care absorbent articles, such as disposable diapers, child training pants, and incontinence garments employ an absorbent layer positioned between a liquid pervious topsheet and a liquid impervious backsheet to absorb body exudates. These articles typically have elasticized waistbands and legbands to help contain the body exudates and prevent leakage. However, many conventional personal care absorbent articles do not prevent body exudates from migrating through the crotch region of the absorbent article, between the front and the back of the article. Thus, body exudates are free to migrate through the crotch region, resulting in undesired contact with the wearer""s skin and leakage.
To help prevent undesirable leakage, some conventional personal care absorbent articles may have compression resistant containment dams which are configured to inhibit the longitudinal flow of fecal material along a surface of the absorbent article contacting the wearer""s skin. Such containment dams are positioned within the article so that when the wearer is in a sitting position, the containment dam is positioned along a line where the wearer""s buttocks depart from the flat sitting surface. These containment dams may be effective in preventing leakage from a back region of the article but they do not prevent migration of body exudates through the crotch region.
Other conventional personal care absorbent articles may have a partition which extends outwardly from a body facing surface of the absorbent article and provides an abrupt discontinuity between the back portion and the front portion of the absorbent article. Fecal material deposited in the rear portion of the absorbent article is prevented from migrating to the front portion of the absorbent article. However, these partitions are permanently incorporated into the absorbent article and are not responsive to forces exerted by the wearer.
It is apparent that there is a need for a personal care absorbent article which not only isolates and contains body exudates without leakage, but also prevents their migration through the crotch region of the article.
In response to the discussed difficulties and problems encountered in the prior art, a personal care absorbent article having a structure disposed therein suitable for forming a transverse separation barrier in a gluteal groove when a wearer is in a sitting position, has been discovered.
The personal care absorbent article of this invention comprises an absorbent chassis which defines a front waist region, a back waist region, and a crotch region intermediate to and interconnecting the front waist region and the back waist region. The absorbent chassis also includes a rectangular composite structure having a backsheet, a topsheet which is connected to the backsheet in a superposed relation, and an absorbent layer which is located between the backsheet and the topsheet.
The absorbent chassis includes a structure disposed within the crotch region adapted or suitable for forming a separation barrier. Desirably, the structure is positioned on the topsheet. The structure has an expandable region which transitions into or is connected to a compressible region in such a way that when the compressible region is compressed, the expandable region expands to form the separation barrier.
When the personal care absorbent article is positioned properly on the wearer, the compressible region is adjacent an ischia area of the wearer when the wearer is in a sitting position. In accordance with one embodiment, the compressible region comprises two independent compressible regions separated by the gluteal fold with each compressible region adjacent and contacting one ischium. The expandable region extends transversely across the crotch region of the absorbent chassis and is positioned between a wetting point and a fecal discharge point.
When the wearer is in a sitting position, a force exerted by the ischia area on the compressible region compresses the compressible region and the expandable region expands in a z-direction outwardly from a plane of the article and against the body of the wearer between the wetting point and the fecal discharge point to produce the separation barrier.
Desirably, the separation barrier is made of a pliable material having sufficient expansion force to substantially fill or conform to the body. In an expanded configuration, the separation barrier provides an effective transverse barrier or seal to prevent or obstruct the migration of body exudates longitudinally between the back waist portion and the front waist portion, thereby containing and isolating any body exudates and preventing further undesirable contact with the wearer""s skin and/or leakage. Desirably, the separation barrier is a layered structure made of a liquid permeable material to absorb fluids contained within the body exudates.
The structure comprises a material which is resiliently compressible so that the structure returns to its original shape after the compression force is removed. Further, the material must have sufficient strength to withstand the compression force exerted by the ischia area and to obstruct the movement of any body exudates longitudinally through the crotch region.